Obama: Russia could sell defensive S-300 missile to Iran sooner
US President Barack Obama says he was not surprised about Russia’s decision to sell S-300 missile system to Iran because the sale was not prohibited by sanctions and the weapons are defensive.
“They actually stopped the sale, paused or suspended the sale at our request. And I’m frankly surprised that it held this long, given that they were not prohibited by sanctions from selling these defensive weapons,” Obama said on Friday.
“When I say I’m not surprised, given some of the deterioration in the relationship between Russia and the United States, and the fact that their economy is under strain and this was a substantial sale,” he added.
Obama’s remarks contradicted the Pentagon’s statement about the sale.
Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steve Warren announced that the US military is against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to sell S-300 missile system to Iran.
“Our opposition to these sales is long and public. We believe it's unhelpful,” Warren said on Monday. “We are raising that through the appropriate diplomatic channels.”
Putin on Monday signed a decree that lifts a ban on "the shipment from Russia to Iran" of the S-300 missiles.
The decree lifts the ban on transit through the Russian territory, including by air, the delivery from the Russian territory to Iran and the transfer outside of Russia with the use of vessels and aircraft flying the Russian state flag of S-300 missile air defense systems.
Under a contract signed in 2007, Russia was obliged to provide Iran with at least five S-300 defense systems.
Russia, however, refused to deliver the surface-to-air missiles to Tehran in 2010 under the pretext that it is covered by the fourth round of the United Nations Security Council sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program, which bars hi-tech weapons sales to Tehran.
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